UPDATE: 10.43pm

EMERGENCY services have arrived at Pontypool Tesco to check on the situation, with the police, fire and ambulance services all called to the scene.

The main damage however suffered in the crash has been to the newly opening phone store, which was the other side of the wall which the car came through.

Pontypool resident Jonathan Tattershall was paying for items at the time, when he heard a loud bang followed by the unexpected sight of the car.

"There was a very loud bang," he said, adding that he had only popped out for some baby milk.

"The new phone shop, just opened last week, and the displays toppled to the floor and the back end of the walls caved in where the car had shunted it forward after going through the glass.

"The phone displays toppled and everything hit the floor.

"The alarms were all buzzing and everyone ran in a blind panic towards the front doors to see what had happened outside. The store was left deserted as staff and customers ran outside.

"I was very shocked to have seen it. You don't expect that when you are just buying a few things in your local store.

"There were a few distressed customers shaking and some shaken staff returned to the store with me, as I was hoping to collect my shopping, but we were all told to leave the store for safety reasons."

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A CAR has driven into the Pontypool branch of Tesco, crashing through one of the outside panels of the supermarket wall.


The incident happened at around 9.50pm at the store, which is located alongside the A4043, just 10 minutes before Pontypool's Tesco was set to close at 10pm.